Jackson Jambalaya

Bet this is going to go over well with the residence, especially the elder and those with small children who have no control over management in the middle of summer.

Kennuff begins howling in 3,2,1…

This is completely reasonable, but I am one of those who pays their water bill. Unfortunately the majority of the inhabitants of the Bold New City will disagree.

A necessary step in restoring Jackson’s water system to sustainability. And a major reason why Jackson Water can never be returned to CoJ management!

A necessary step in restoring Jackson’s water system to sustainability. And a major reason why Jackson Water can never be returned to CoJ management!

Turning water off is the only way to get out of state owner/landlord to step up and pay up. Owner knows they owe and water is not free but took advantage of mismanaged City of Jackson. Sad part may be that most of the apartments are probably government subsidized so rent will keep being deposited each month in landlords bank account.

Start prosecuting the owners for embezzlement. You pay money for water service to landlord. Landlord pockets the money. You lose water service. Embezzlement.

If any of these properties receive section 8 vouchers there will be serious repurcussions.

I expect the bills will be paid by the end of business friday

110% this is on the owner/management. It sucks for the residents as they are most likely charged water by the complex, but the owner/management hasn't been paying the bill. They should be arrested and held behind bars until it's paid. The ones who will suffer in this case are the (most likely) low-income residents.

I am curious how many of the owners have spent the water money and don't have the funds to get it turned back on. This will be fun & not fun to watch at the same time.

A small example of the difference between 1st and 3rd World thinking, the idea that you have to pay for what you buy. . Chief Lumumba isn’t going to like this at all. Maybe the solution is to dig wells at various places and let people carry water home.

Start filing liens and then instituting foreclosures on those liens, and the payments would start rolling in. And why aren't ALL delinquent accounts being set for disconnection (I'm pretty sure of the answer but...)?

I am all for turning the landlords over to the feds to prosecute if they are embezzling rent subsidies. The sad part is how to determine what is the actual bill. I don't know of JXN WTR has been able to solidly identify usage for the time they were not in control. Either way, I would support prosecution and figure that part out in discovery.

Surely there would be a class action lawsuit in this for every landlord/property owner who failed to honor the terms of the contract or lease, if the lease / rental agreement included water as a part of the contract.

I love that idea @Kingfish. But it will require the tenants to turn in the Landlord. They have to show the term in the lease, payments made, and then payment wasn't passed along. It isn't on JXN Water, but they can provide the necessary proof of non-payment.

Will the DA or City prosecutors file it?

Calm down people. Chok already announced in a presser that the water system was waaaay better managed under his supervision compared to the management of Jackson Water.

On Canton water they turn off after the 20th if you don’t pay.

They don’t wait for months and years.

Wait. Reynolds says we should only be focused on derelict buildings located on a couple key parcels the FOL has their eyes on. What gives?

The apartment water cutoffs are a different issue than residence cutoffs. For individual homeowners who do not pay their water bills, it's a simple matter of them opting not to pay for something...so that something gets discontinued. But landlords and apartment managers who fail in their duty to keep water connections in good order to their properties are subject to more than just cutoffs...that's a civil matter, too, and residents can take responsible parties to court. Tenants are not given control over their water and instead agree, by contract, to pay for said water through their rent...and same contract holds responsible the owner/manager to keep those connections in good order. This is a slam dunk in court.

9:53 AM It's a civil matter

The City of Brandon gives you two billing cycles. Late for one cycle and they give you some grace. Miss the second cycle and they cut you off immediately. This happened to me once when I just forgot that bill. I payed the delinquent bill immediately and have never let that happen again. That's how you handle delinquent accounts.

I know they are going after the bigger fish, but why haven't shut offs of residential customers begun? In the case of residential customers, you know the resident is responsible for not paying. These residents of apartment complexes have no control over the owners not paying.

Here's how it is going to go down:

These landlords, under pressure, will now work out payment arrangements with JXN Water, but will instead pass the cost of the payments onto the renters via rent increases.

I really hate this for the residents of these apartments, but this is absolutely a reasonable and necessary step for JXN Water to take when the building's property management group is basically daring JXN Water to cut them off by not working with them to get current.

Some residents (and evidently property management groups) have gotten so accustomed to getting away with not paying a dime for water that they viewed JXN Water's numerous warnings of shutoffs as empty threats. Hopefully this will light a fire under them to get current quickly.

In the meantime, it would be nice if all of these organizations the Mayor's sister is involved in would step up and provide some bottled water for residents of these apartment complexes who are being impacted despite making water payments through their rent instead of making whatever snide comments are surely coming Ted's way!

"...space in which to thrive."

Perhaps a tenant group can put their rent in escrow such that all future rent pays off past utility bills, insurance, etc. The water/trash bill is likely not the only fraud committed by landlord-owner.

i assume, based on this report, that there are very few if any home owners delinquent on their water bills. That certainly should be a selling point for Jackson real estate.

Chowke and Rukia calling JXN Water racist in 3, 2, 1...

Its upsetting that people like this landlord and many residents were allowed to become so comfortable with not paying a water bill.

Who would have thought that refusing to turn off a service for non-pay would result in a pattern of non-paying customers?

One could almost say, I told you so.

Maybe the mayor and the COJ could guarantee payment so the water could be turned back on......Oh wait, nevermind.

2:48 there is a hugggggge % of the Jxn population not paying for their water!

Oh somehow it's all gonna be Tate's fault

Failure to provide water would likely permit the tenant to claim a constructive eviction, entitling the tenant to move out without penalty, regardless of what the lease provides. If the apartment management sued for rent, the tenant might file a counterclaim for damages incurred because of the constructive eviction, including moving costs, increased rents at a new place for the duration of the old lease, etc.

Finally, after waiting three years, I have witnessed Bill Dees making perfect sense.